Kohler Co. to Build Phoenix-Area Manufacturing Facility

Rendering of Kohler Co. manufacturing facility in Casa Grande, Ariz. Image courtesy of Kohler Co.

Kitchen and bath product powerhouse Kohler Co. is getting underway with a plumbing ware manufacturing facility with warehouse and office space in Casa Grande, Ariz.

The property will total about 1 million square feet, with room on the 216-acre greenfield site for future expansion. The new development will create more than 400 new full-time jobs, according to the Arizona Commerce Authority, an economic development organization.

Casa Grande is along I-10 in Pinal County, Ariz., not quite halfway from Phoenix to Tucson.

No dollar value for the project was disclosed.

Kohler will use the property as a manufacturing facility and distribution center for its Sterling Vikrell bath and shower fixtures, such as sinks, bath tubs and tub surrounds. Sterling Vikrell is a mid-priced brand of fiberglass and polycomposite fixtures by Kohler.

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The facility reportedly will incorporate sustainability measures to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, water usage and solid waste, and several alternative energy strategies are also being evaluated.

The facility is planned to be in operation by August 2023.

Headquartered in Kohler, Wis., Kohler Co. was founded in 1873 and remains privately held. Worldwide, it has more than 50 manufacturing locations and more than 40,000 employees.

A warm market

The past year was an active one for the metro Phoenix industrial space market, with a record 27.5 million square feet of space underway at the end of the year, according to a fourth-quarter report from CBRE.

Net rentable space increased over 2020 by nearly 15 million square feet, bringing the metro’s inventory to 355 million square feet. That compares with 21.4 million square feet of net absorption just in the fourth quarter.

The Southeast Valley submarket, too, had a good 2021. The overall vacancy was just 3.3 percent, and the average asking rent was $1.01 per square foot, also according to CBRE.